Reviews by MathBrush

I identified with this a lot. It's a story about the agonies of feelings of inadequacy after childbirth. I remember that feeling after my son was born and knowing that every second of the rest of my life (at least for a decade or two) somebody had to be watching and taking care of him. I remember panicking when some numeric milestone wasn't reached like weight and I remember the first time he had a serious injury. The protagonist is hit even harder, though, as there seems to be very strong post-partum depression and/or anxiety, so it must be a truly rough experience. The author clearly loves the child but that doesn't make it easier; if you didn't love, didn't care, then things would be great, because you wouldn't have to stress about the kid. It's the love that allows the anxiety to take hold, which adds to the guilt. So it's all very relatable.

This Neo Twiny Jam game reminded me of the Magnus Archives in a good way.

You are a puppet made of the shell of a cyperus (which I think is a tigernut? after looking it up). You are forced to dance and dance, but unlike the other puppets, it brings you no joy.

This is framed in the art for the game as a trans story, which it makes sense as, but it also could extend to many things where the reader differs from others around them.

Overall, I found the writing evocative and poetic, which pulled the whole thing together for me.

This is a short game entered into the Neo Twiny Jam, made for games with 500 words or less.

This game features a creepy situation, where one of your classmates admits they constantly want to grope another classmate. In a twist, the would-be groper turns out to be (Spoiler - click to show)a girl. So I guess the moral of the story is that creepiness is not limited in its scope, but all can be disturbing and/or put on watchlists.

This game is entered in the Neo Twiny Jam, having less than 500 words.

It's an interesting game, a sequel to an idle game called Literally Watch Paint Dry that I'm in the middle of playing as I write this. It has some interesting plot twists about friends saying cruel things.

This game is split into two branches, one with a friend that is pretty kind; this branch is fairly bland. The other is with a 'friend' who hasn't been there for you since transitioning. This one is more poignant.

Overall, I feel the game made sense without knowledge of the idle game prequel. But both branches felt like they could use a little more 'seasoning', some more uniqueness in either phrasing or plot.

This is a well-made Twine game written in 500 words or less for the Neo Twiny Jam

Rather than attempting to fit a grand structure into that small space, the author has created a linear narrative that is frankly very amusing.

This linear narrative is enhanced by many little animated doodads which react to hovering or clicking. These are pretty cool, but they all seem to advance the story the same as each other; I think. That's the thing, I couldn't tell if they were different branches, little side effects that returned to the main thing, etc. So I liked the overall idea, but my brain didn't comprehend well.

There's something about a minimal twine or parser game about a cheeky bird that makes for a great story. There have been quite a few in recent years (like Free Bird or The Familiar or Among the Seasons), and this one is a great addition.

It's in a scrollable format, each choice you make adding to each another in a chain, reminiscent of Inklewriter. The words are minimal, which makes sense as it's entered in a jam for games with < 500 words. It uses this minimality to add 8 different endings, mostly in a branching time cave-type format.

Cute text styling and mild animations/timed effects add a lot of character. Very fun.

This is an entry in the Neo Twiny Jam, written in less than 500 words.

Rather than focusing on significant branching or mechanics, this story paints a picture of two cursed lovers perishing in the flames.

It has some mild worldbuilding and instead focuses on emotion. I felt like the overall story and vibe worked better than some of the individual phrasing. The characters seemed at a distance from each other, having slow, tender conversations while in a situation that would make speech quite difficult. But I think this author is one I'd like to read more of in the future.

This is a brief Twine game written for the Neo Twiny Jam.

It features an illustration of a t-rex/tiger hybrid called Baron Magmawalker who questions their existence.

The very concept is, in fact, deeply cool. However, this game seems to want to go into four different directions and doesn't manage to get far in any. It's an origin story mixed with an exploration of personal depths mixed with an Aesop's fable mixed with the prologue to an epic quest. I feel like it could do with a bit more focus or a bit more time.

This is a short game, less than 500 words, entered into the Neo Twiny Jam.

In it, you recreate a dream of the author where you meet a beautiful individual whom you can try to be with over and over again.

The game is brief, but it satisfies my 5 main criteria for games:

+Polish: I saw no bugs or typos. The lush color scheme and music complemented the story and setting well.

+Descriptiveness: Every word felt like it had a purpose.

+Interactivity: I had the impression of control at first, and when I didn't it felt like it fit the theme.

+Emotional impact: I totally understood where it was coming from, especially as a dream.

+Would I play again or recommend? I did play a couple of times.

This is one of the better Neo Twiny Jam games I played. You play as what seems to be a vampire at a coffeeshop, contemplating your latest prey.

It has customized styling and background music. The words are well-suited to the length of the piece, eager and fast, like they're racing through the protagonist's brain.

It is violent (I could do without the reference to (Spoiler - click to show)popping eyeballs), but it fits in with the theme and the imagery. Overall, this is wrapped into a nice, concise package with consistent tone and strong emotion.